Peoria Public Radio News

10:19 pm

Fri February 28, 2014

The state Comptroller tours Crittenton Centers

Illinois State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka visits with the youngsters at Crittenton Centers. The Comptroller was touring the facility after speaking with the press about the importances of state funding for human service focused nonprofit agencies.

Caleb, 3 in Crittenton Centers's pre-k program handles the microphone masterfully and even did a little Q & A with Illinois State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka. She was eager to take his questions, and even helped him craft them.

The closet of diapers and formula constitue less than a week's supply for the Crittenton Centers. The agency cares for children birth to pre-k who's parents qualify for the subsidized childcare. It's also home to the crisis nursery.

One of the daycare rooms at Crittenton Centers is colorful and fun decked-out with St Patrick's Day themed decorations. The rainbow with the pot of gold was a bit humor for the Comptroller who pays the state's bills.

Tanya KooncePeoria Public Radio

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka visited the Crittenton Center in Peoria Friday. She says she tours non-profits like Crittenton throughout the state to remain connected.

Topinka says it allows her to see the human service based organizations at work. She urges them to contact her office if they are facing hardship or are on the verge of closing due to late payments from the state. Topinka also prioritizes payments to the agencies. She says she sends their payments as soon as the money comes in and the other state mandated bills are are paid.

“Like Crittenton here, it just saves and fills a hole in society that is the backbone of the state. And if we don’t have organizations like this, where we allow them to belly up, unless you want to throw these kids on the street, and that’s not a very good alternative, then we have to be supportive and stand with them, ” Topinka says.

It costs about $5000 a day to operate the Crittenton Centers including the daycare and preschool programs as well as the crisis nursery and sheltering the agency offers.

Topkinka says her office aims to keep payments to organizations like Crittenton on a three month delayed payment cycle. She says they’ve tried to build in some predictability for the human service nonprofits.